Starbound begins on Earth, the player goes to the ceremony honoring the Protectors - an alliance of six races that protect Earth and other planets from pirates and all manner of threats. During the ceremony a catastrophe occurs, enormous tentacles destroy the planet, the player takes their mother's manipulator and escapes on a spacecraft. Eventually the ship approaches a habitable planet. And so the adventures begin, which draw the player into journeys across the Universe. Starbound contains both quests and storylines that are acquired at the base of survivors after the destruction of the home planet. The spaceship serves as the player's transport for exploring the galaxy. The teleporter allows the player to descend to planets whose orbit the ship is in, as well as to other teleporters and players.